Fishing Equipment
Best slip bobbers
I tried some slip bobbers from Gapen Fishing (www.gapen.com). These were a big improvement over the Thill bobber. The major advantage was that they can be used as a slip bobber and a regular bobber without re-rigging. I have purchased many items from this company over the years. It is a first rate company both in product and service.
Last month I came across a site that custom makes slip bobbers. (www.bentleyfishing.com.) I spoke with the owner and he suggested several of his bobbers for the type of fishing I do. They are the best slip bobbers I have found to date. The site has probably 20-30 different styles of slip bobbers. They are a little bigger than the thill bobbers but with only a slight increase in weight. They cast great and are very sensitive.
I have the thill, gapen, and the bentley bobbers in my tackle box. The bentley bobbers are my favorite.
A cheaper route is to take a standard slip bobber and push a metal bead into the top of it. Works the same as a Thill with metal inserts. We've been doing that since I could walk (I'm 25 now). Just get metal beads that are slightly bigger than the opening at the end of the bobber.
Sort of off topic, but another thing I found to work well is to use braided line on my reels with a fluro leader. That way the slip knot slides on the braid and does not fray the line. I fished a lot with mono and fluoro and the knots would eventually fray and snap the line, especially when I moved them big distances. No longer happens with the braid, plus I now get solid hook sets, even when the bobber is a ways from the boat. Another plus is if I get a snag I generally only lose the hook and that little bit of leader line, my sinker is on the braid so I don't have the bobber slip off and start floating away.
